Character Advancement

At the end of every adventure, your character can make an Advancement Roll to see if he improves: roll 1d20 and subtract your current experience level from the result.

If the Advancement Roll is equal to or greater than your character’s Advancement Cost (AdCost), you receive a number of Improvement Points (IP) equal to your current level (e.g., a 3rd-level character gets 3 IP). Otherwise, you must complete another adventure before you can try again.

The GM may grant Session Reward bonuses to the Advancement Roll for completing mission goals, overcoming specific adventure challenges, and defeating key opponents.

Improvement Points may be spent to:

• Level Up: Increase your experience level by one and apply a +1 bonus to one of the following: any class Ability, Movement Rate (MR), Wound Limit (WL), Defence (DF), or Initiative Modifier (IM). [IP cost equal to current level]
• Improve a class Ability: Gain Ability bonus of AR +1. [1 IP]
• Acquire a non-class Ability: Gain new Ability at AR +0. [1 IP]
• Improve a non-class Ability: Gain Ability bonus of AR +1; you can improve each of your non-class Abilities only once per experience level. [1 IP]
• Acquire a new Perk: Gain the “basic” version of a Perk. [1 IP]
• Improve an existing Perk: Gain the Improved version of an existing Perk. [2 IP]
• Acquire a new Special Perk: Gain a Special Perk from your race or class. [IP cost equal to current level]
• Acquire a new power: Gain the power; you must have access to the power’s school (to access new schools, re-purchase the Special Perk that allows you to use powers; e.g., Miracles, Spells, et al.). [IP cost equal to ¼ power’s Target Number]
• Acquire Mana: Gain 1d6 Mana points. [1 IP]
• Acquire a new Class: Gain access to the new class’ Abilities and Sperks (Abilities already possessed gain a bonus of AR +1). You must also add the new class’ AdCost to your existing Advancement Cost figure. [IP cost equal to current level]
• Overcome a Flaw: Remove an existing Flaw; at the GM’s discretion (and depending on the Flaw), this may require constant effort (q.v., Overcoming Flaws). [2 IP]

To simulate the effort required for character improvement, the GM might require training as a component of advancement. In campaign terms, this represents tutelage, instruction, and practice in whatever’s being improved (e.g., practicing under a weapon master’s guidance to improve the Fight Ability, serving as a sorcerer’s apprentice to acquire a magic spell, or taking a course at the community college to improve Academics).

Assuming a character can find a suitable instructor (and convince him to provide instruction), training takes time and money. Here are some guidelines:

• Gaining an experience level: Applying the lessons learned from adventuring to the physical and mental improvements represented by level gain consumes 1 month of game time per level earned, at a cost of $1,000 per month of instruction.
• Abilities: Improving an existing Ability by AR +1 requires a month of game time and $500. Acquiring a new Ability requires two months of game time at a cost of $1,000.
• Perks: Acquiring a new Perk takes two months of game time and $1,000. Improving a Perk also takes two months, but the advanced training required costs $2,000.
• Sperks: New Sperks are acquired in one game month at a cost of $2,000.
• Powers: Gaining a new power takes one game week per Target Number of the power, at a rate of $250 per week. New powers are hard to find, as most instructors are reluctant to share such knowledge; finding a willing mentor requires the PC to make a Street Smarts roll against the TN of the power sought.
• New Class: Training consumes the class’ Advancement Cost in game months, at a rate of $1,000 per month.